Community order for barbershop flasher

Filip Trifononov has been sentenced to a 12-month community order after exposing himself at a barbershop in Whitechapel Pic: Gail Frederick

A Bulgarian man has been sentenced to a 12-month community order after exposing himself and attacking a hairdresser at a barbershop in Whitechapel.

Filip Trifononov, 41, from Llandrindod Wells in Wales, entered the shop during a private event on the evening of April 20 and assaulted the owner, Mark Mason.

Trifononov admitted to being uncontrollably drunk after drinking six pints of Guinness and showing his penis to members of the party before leaving to ransack the surrounding area, aggravating members of the public and damaging nearby cars.

Returning to the shop, the long-time builder began punching the walls, smashing a window and heavily denting the metal shutters.

Co-owner of the shop, Dwayne Troll, attempted to calm the situation, while his colleague rang the police, at which point Trifononov attacked the staff.

Mason dislocated his finger during a struggle on the floor and was admitted to Newham Hospital later that night.

Trifononov was arrested at 2:45am and failed to recall any of the incident.

He said he thought Mason’s shop was a nightclub at the time.

Speaking at Thames Magistrates’ Court, the defence spoke of Trifononov’s good character, and explained how he works as a carpenter, electrician and surveyor on the restoration of a castle in Wales.

Trifononov arrived in the UK in 2002, but was sent back to Bulgaria due to outstanding offences.

He returned in 2003, claiming his fingerprints must have been mixed at the airport, and received a caution for assault later that year.

Pleading not guilty at the time, and once again in January, Trifononov was sentenced to two concurrent 12-month community orders, ordered to enrol on the sexual offence register for the next three years and to pay £500 in personal injury.